Bad Habits
by vielice
Summary: After years of being MIA, Peyton Sawyer returns and a certain blonde Scott thinks he's falling for her, but is she still really the person who they've been told she is? AU. Leyton.
1. Prologue

_AU, but it follows the normal timeline up until high school (Peyton not included). I've also removed/changed certain details, i.e. Lucas doesn't have HCM and Brooke and Peyton were never friends, etc etc._

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><p>Another loud honk woke Lucas up from his deep slumber for the umpteenth time, making him groan and exasperatingly wiggle his head under his pillow, a trait that his best friend and brother had always teased him about. It's been five years, and the bustling streets of New York City never failed to annoy him to no end, and especially so during the days when he would come home with a hang-over or a battered body due to basketball.<p>

'Fuck,' he muttered, the noise somehow becoming louder despite his attempts to cover his ears. He reluctantly sat up, throwing his covers and pillows haphazardly across the room, beyond enraged. Days like these, he wished he had stayed in Tree Hill and took the job of becoming the Ravens' coach instead of an NBA star alongside his younger brother.

Finding the strength to finally stand up, he dragged himself across the room with a sigh before opening his door, only to be met with the sight of his brother and best friend/his brother's wife making out in their open kitchen, unaware of his presence.

'You two are incorrigible,' Lucas rolled his eyes, albeit amused at the sight of Haley and Nathan trying to get their selves together, somewhat still embarrassed after being walked in on by Lucas bazillion times already. 'Where's Jamie?'

'Sleeping,' Nathan smiled; a smile Lucas knew was solely for his wife.

'Why are you even awake at five in the morning?' Haley mused, knowing that her best friend came home pretty late last night, so it was a wonder as to how he was awake so early. 'Coffee's ready.'

'Noise kept me up all night,' he sighed, pouring himself a cup of coffee, patting Haley's back as a silent thank you. 'You'd think after years, I'd get used to this, but no, every damn day, the racket just gets louder and louder.'

'Oh, don't complain too much,' Nathan said, sitting himself on the barstool opposite of Lucas. 'I thought you were staying at Brooke's yesterday?'

'Yeah, well, she was dragged to Paris by Victoria,' Lucas shrugged. 'Apparently, they're going to be opening another store or something.'

'Oh, isn't that great then?' Haley grinned, turning around to see Lucas nodding before pulling out a pan from the drawer, knowing it was best that she make breakfast now before Jamie wakes up. 'Ya'll want pancakes?'

A lazy grin appeared on both the Scott brothers before answering Haley in unison, 'Yes, please.'

* * *

><p>'Momma!' Jamie called, his gaze not once leaving the television, unbothered to run and get the ringing telephone. 'Momma, someone's calling!'<p>

'I got it, Hales,' Nathan called out, shushing Jamie with a finger to his lips, shaking his head. 'Uncle Lucas is sleeping, remember, Jim-jam?'

'Sorry,' Jamie frowned.

'It's alright, buddy,' Nathan chuckled before picking up the phone, hearing someone crying in the background.

'Hello?'

'_Haley? Is this where Haley James lives?' _

Nathan furrowed his brows, the voice unfamiliar to him. 'Yeah, who's this?'

'_Put her on the line, please,'_

'Hales, someone wants to talk to you,' Nathan gave the cordless phone to his wife, shrugging when she asked him who it was, before walking towards Jamie.

'Haley speaking,' Haley put the phone between the crook of her shoulder and left ear, continuing cutting the carrots. 'Who's this?'

'_It's me, Hales,'_

'Peyton?' Haley stopped her ministrations abruptly, shocked to hear her cousin's voice after almost ten years. Her face switched from happiness to immediate disappointment. 'Nice of you to finally call after years of being MIA, Peyton.'

'_Haley, we need to talk, please, in person.' _

She shook her head before cutting off the line. How dare she call her after years of not answering her messages, phone calls and letters? Does she think that after all this time, everything would still be the same? Haley shook her head angrily, determined not to answer the ringing phone again. However, a part of her was dying to know why her cousin has called her, and why her voice was laced with fear and sadness.

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><p><em>Tell me what you think!<em>


	2. Chapter 1: Unaware

__**A/N: Guys, just to clear things up, yes, it is going to be Leyton. Just bear with me!**__

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><p><strong>Unaware<strong>

_Life could pass you by and you wouldn't know  
>Things change, but they rarely do<br>You count the days as they barely move, well, do what you have to_

Lucas woke up, once again, albeit this time due to the loud commotion happening _inside_ their loft. He furrowed his brows, jumping off the bed and headed straight to the door, running a hand through his already disheveled hair before twisting the silver knob, the sight of three men wearing familiar uniforms hunched over their telephone once again making him confused even more.

'Nate, what's going on?' He asked, straightening his rumpled t-shirt.

'I don't know either, Haley just got a phone call from someone and said she didn't want that person calling her again,' Nathan laughed. 'Probably a pervert or something.'

'But didn't we just change our telephone number recently?'

'Yeah, I know, I tried to talk Hales out of it but she seemed determined to do it,' Nathan paused, looking at the three men who told him their job was done, before continuing. 'Next thing I knew, there were three guys when I returned from the gym.'

'Where's Haley?' Lucas found it odd that his friend would willingly change their number when the last time they'd changed it (which was three days ago), she seemed irritated with their constant telephone number renewal that she even gave the two of them a long lecture about how she wished they'd not become famous basketball stars instead, which only earned her a grin from both of them, saying that she was only jealous of their fame. They all knew it was just a joke though.

'Helping Jamie with his homework,' Nathan said quickly, and then preceded thanking the men and pulling out money from his pocket, telling them to keep the change. 'Thanks, Bob! We'll call again!'

'Anytime, Scott,' the tallest of the three broke out into a toothy grin and waved at them before walking out of the door, followed by two other men.

* * *

><p>'No luck?'<p>

'Service got fucked,' she threw her lit cigarette bud on the asphalt before stepping on it angrily, heaving out an irritated sigh. 'I think they've cut the line.'

'Well, duh, you call the girl after a hundred years and you expect her to just want to talk to you and invite you to her home?' The red head smirked, pulling her leather jacket off, the heat getting to her. 'Ugh, I hate the sun!'

'It's only been ten, Gatina,' the blonde gritted through her teeth, putting her aviators on top of her tousled blonde locks. 'Haley and I were close, Rachel, she was my best friend, she was the one who was there for me when my mom died, and she can't just… I know she'll talk to me…'

'Knowing and hoping are two different things, Sawyer,' Rachel sighed, patting her close friend's shoulders. 'Hey, didn't you say a guy answered it?'

'Yeah, she's obviously married by now, you know? Found the right, perfect guy we've always dreamed of and gotten beautiful children, just like how our grandma told her she would,' Peyton blinked back the tears, biting her bottom lip as to keep herself from bursting into a waterfall.

'Careful, your bitterness is showing,' Rachel joked, trying to lighten the mood. 'C'mon, Peyt, you're going to get that someday too.'

'Nah,' Peyton scoffed, wiping the rims of her eyes. 'Emily's right, I am a disgrace, a fuck up and it was only right she denied me as her granddaughter.'

'Your grandma's a bitch, Peyton,' she laughed, nudging the blonde's side. 'You and I both know that, so, don't let her get to you anymore, okay?'

Peyton nodded, but they both knew that the elder's words meant more to the blonde than Rachel said it to be.

* * *

><p>'Haley, just tell us who it is,' Lucas pleaded, glancing at his brother for help.<p>

'Yeah, Hales, I mean, it's not someone we know, right?' Nathan asked, sighing when Haley just remained silent. 'Haley, you're making me worried here.'

'Someone who I used to know, but she doesn't matter anymore,' she sighed, feeling a headache coming along.

'Aha!' Lucas yelled, startling both of them. 'So it's a girl!'

'Lower your voice, Lucas, Jamie's sleeping,' Haley reprimanded, glaring at the blonde Scott. 'Yes, it's a girl, a woman, a lady, whatever, it doesn't matter anymore!'

'Is it Taylor? Qui—'

'It's not any of my sisters, Nate,' Haley said, earning a look from the two brothers. 'Guys, can you just leave it?'

'Whatever you say, Hales,' Lucas shrugged, jumping off the barstool and headed straight to his room, intending to take a shower. He'd try to talk to Haley alone later.

Nathan silently thought about it, and then remembered someone Haley mentioned to him a long time ago. 'Is it… Pete… Peyton?'

Haley's heart abruptly quickened, wondering how Nathan knew her long lost cousin's name. She faked a laugh, shaking her head. 'No way.' She hated lying to him.

* * *

><p>After sitting on the park bench for hours, the two of them decided to head to a coffee shop, something which Rachel suggested, knowing it would somehow lessen their headaches and rid of their hangover. Last night had been hell for Rachel after Peyton had showed up on their doorstep for the umpteenth time drunk, then getting caught by her boyfriend-now ex's former girlfriend, being felt up in a sleazy bar, both of them going to her apartment drunk, Peyton constantly waking her up late at night due to her impeccably horrible nightmares that have suddenly started recurring for the past few days after her grandmother's death.<p>

She was worried about Peyton, not that she wasn't worried before, since the blonde had always disappeared and came back drunk after a day or didn't come home at all for weeks, but Rachel was always certain that no matter how long, she would always come back. She'd always run away from everything, and the red head wondered when Peyton would finally face her problems, but she knew that it wasn't going to be for a very long time.

After finding out about the abrupt death of her grandmother though, Peyton had been determined to search for her cousin, something which Rachel found rather odd, considering that the blonde had told her that she'd ran away from her family and cut ties with all of them, long before she even knew how to chug down a full bottle of whiskey in one try, but Peyton has vaguely told her that Haley was different, and that she needed to tell her about their grandmother's death, and about the will she's left, albeit Rachel knew she wasn't telling her everything.

It seems to Rachel that the girl, who Peyton thought was unlike the rest of her relatives, was just the same like all of them. They all didn't accept the blonde, and that was something the red head knew Peyton, deep down, knew about too, even if she didn't admit it, and knowing that crushes Rachel's heart.

'Hey, Rach,' Peyton flicked the girl's forehead, waking her up from her reverie. 'Lost you for awhile there, did you understand what I was saying?'

'No, sorry,' Rachel took a sip of her coffee, letting the warm liquid soothe her aching throat. 'What were you saying?'

'I found loads of Haley James on the directory, but I didn't find the right one, right?' Peyton looked at Rachel, who nodded. 'But I tried Haley James-Scott, and she answered, meaning that she's married to a dude who has the last name of Scott, right?'

Rachel's eyes glinted with excitement. 'Are you talking about Scott, Lucas Scott, and Nathan Scott?'

'Who?' Peyton asked, furrowing her brows.

Rachel looked at her with wide eyes, before shaking her head. Of course Peyton knew nothing about them. The girl didn't even watch TV! Well, rarely.

'They're two very famous, hot basketball players, Peyt,' Rachel said dreamily. 'Too bad Nathan claims he's married, and Lucas… I don't really know much about his relationship; last time I heard though, I think he hooked up with Brooke Davis.'

'There are billions of Scott, Rach, and Haley doesn't even like basketball! What makes you think she's married to a famous basketball star?' Peyton rolled her eyes, not a clue as to who Rachel was talking about. 'I'll start calling up Scott's after we leave this shop.'

'Hey, I was just guessing,' Rachel shrugged.

* * *

><p>Lucas put the phone down, a smile finally appearing on his face after knowing that his girlfriend landed safely and was now on her way to a business meeting with her mother. He was glad she at least sounded happier than she did yesterday when she found out that Victoria's booked another surprise business flight, something which he knew Brooke hated.<p>

'Brooke's okay?' Haley smiled when he nodded, handing Lucas a piece of paper. Lucas unfolded it, his smile widening when he saw Jamie's drawing of him and Brooke sitting together, apparently in the park, eating apples. 'Jamie said that would make you smile.'

'Sweet boy,' Lucas chuckled, folding the paper once again before tucking it in the back pocket of his jeans. 'Thanks for the drawing, Jim-jam!' He called.

Not even a minute later, Jamie emerged out of the bathroom, fully naked with a grin on his face. 'I knew you'd love it, Uncle Luke!'

'Jamie!' Haley gaped, ushering Jamie inside the bathroom, shaking her head, making Lucas and Nathan, who just entered the scenario burst out laughing, making the young boy frown before disappearing inside the bathroom with his mother.

'You _are _his father,' Lucas joked, making Nathan glare at him. 'Jeez, I'm not trying to imply that you walk around naked or anything.'

'Okay, cut it out, what happened to your cranky mood?' Nathan rolled his eyes, opening the fridge to grab an energy drink.

'Well, Brooke called,' Lucas shrugged.

'Ah, I knew she was the reason,' Nathan laughed, his brother was totally smitten. 'Speaking of calling, found out who called Haley yet?'

'Not a clue, Nate, but I think we should just leave it,' Lucas sighed. He's tried talking to her after his shower, but of course, she just told him to leave it and there was nothing to worry about. He knew she was lying, but for now, he would just leave it.

'I guess,' Nathan agreed, popping the can open before drinking all of it in one go. 'Something just tells me that whoever that is is not good news.'

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><p>Thanks for the reviews, guys! I really appreciate it. :)<p>

Tell me what you think!


	3. Chapter 2: Closer

_**A/N: Happy new year, guys! Here's chapter 2 :)**_

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><p><strong>Closer<strong>

_You hear the knock, will you open the door?  
>You try and fight, but it's hard to ignore<em>

Peyton turned the golden knob, opening the door that lead to the rather dirty bathroom of this cheap apartment they lived in. She sighed heavily, revolving the key; locking the door, before stepping out of her clothes, needing to feel hot water against her cold body.

She walked towards the shower to turn it on, before taking a glance of herself in the mirror and tried to stop herself from quivering, struggling to keep the tears at bay too. The sight of herself made her want to vomit her guts out until she puked blood, something which made Peyton laugh in distaste as she slowly let her eyes trail from her pale, unattractive face to her boney shoulders, collarbones that looked like they could poke a balloon and her skinny, bruised, horrendous body that is a testament to her suffering, just like her eyes.

She ran a hand through her tangled blonde locks, unable to stop herself from grasping it tightly and look herself in the eyes from the mirror, quietly saying things to herself that would make any bystander that would hear them look at her in pity.

She was told she was pretty by many guys, girls even, but Peyton knew it was lies. She wasn't pretty, really, they all just wanted to get in her bed for a good fuck, and after years of trying to keep her dignity, she just finally let go of it one day and just stopped caring.

Most of the compliments came after sleeping with some guy, telling her that she had a pretty good body and gave them some good fuck, and she'd pretend for some time that she appreciates it, but she would run to the bathroom after they leave, scrubbing their touches off her skin and vomiting their kisses away. That was just the way for her. She'd regret it, but then she'd do it again. It never changed.

Peyton shook her thoughts away before stepping inside the running shower, wishing that it could wash away all her problems, the same way it washes away her tears, hiding it from the world.

'Took you long enough,' Rachel muttered, handing Peyton her cell phone. The red head switched on the television, before glancing at the blonde who immediately took up another phone number and started dialing, making her sigh.

'Peyt, we've been calling Scotts for two days and we still have no luck finding Haley's husband, what makes you so sure she's even married to a Scott? What if she was visiting a Sco-'

'_Back to you, Philip!'_

'Rachel, there's nothing wrong if I try, right?' Peyton shook her head before ending the call, hair on her skin rising after hearing a creepy voice on the line. Definitely not Haley's husband.

'_Bobcats' point guard, Nathan Scott seen walking with his family late last night, on their way to the supermarket. Store owner says they went to get ice cream and then left, but wife Haley James-Scott was caught sneaking her way in Tim Hortons' and bought Scott's favorite desert and surprised him! Lucky guy, I tell you. Meanwhile, back to Charles from some good ol' weather report.'_

'Oh, I think we just found our guy,' Rachel smirked, watching Peyton's reaction carefully. The blonde seemed to be in a state of shock, seeing her cousin after years and it was funny how it had to be through an ugly piece of a cheap ass television. 'And to think, I told you it could've been one of them.'

Peyton wasted no time as she immediately pulled on her black leather jacket on and grabbed her aviators from the bed, looking at Rachel incredulously. 'Well, what are you waiting for, Gatina? The TV's not going to find their address for us!'

'Thought so,' Rachel laughed, grabbing her keys, following Peyton out the door.

* * *

><p>'I can't believe they have to put that in the news!' Haley laughed, embarrassment flooding her whole body.<p>

'Thank God you two weren't smooching down the block,' Lucas grinned, dodging the throw pillow that was chucked at him by Nathan.

'You're the same with Brooke,' Nathan scoffed, rolling his eyes. Sometimes, it seemed that Lucas was the younger one due to his imbecile actions, something which made Nathan groan in frustration. People also said he looked younger, well, he'll wait 'till the day Lucas gets a child and they'll all see who looks younger. That won't be for a very long time though, Nathan thought.

'But we like to keep it low,' Lucas smirked, leaning his head back on the white couch. 'Y'know, we rarely even go out.'

'And that is definitely not healthy for a relationship,' Nathan muttered, making Lucas glare at him. 'Dude, I get that you both are busy but you guys have to… never mind, it's none of my business.'

Lucas nodded, but he knew that his brother was right. Not that he was going to admit that though.

'Nate's right, Luke,' Haley smiled at him apologetically. They all knew he hated talking about how his relationship's going after his small depression because of his ex-fiancée's abrupt departure, without a word as to where she was going or if she's even going to return, but Lucas had lost hope after two years of looking for her, and waiting for her to come back.

'I know he is,' Lucas confessed, rolling his eyes when he saw Nathan smirking. 'It's just… Maybe I'm not ready to go out there yet and tell the world I'm in love, okay?'

'You love Brooke already?' Her eyes widened, startled by Lucas' confession.

'No!' Lucas took it back immediately, making Haley sigh in relief. 'I didn't mean to say love.'

'Yeah right,' Nathan laughed, earning a smack on his shoulder by Haley. 'Hey, I'm just saying that Lucas isn't the type of guy to use the wrong vocabulary.'

Lucas glared at his brother exasperatingly. 'People make mistakes, Nate.'

Haley thought about what Lucas said for a split second and couldn't help but think about her cousin, wondering where she was now and whether she was still trying to contact her. People do make mistakes, but it was one thing to make a couple of mistakes but another to keep doing the same thing over and over again. She silently pondered whether she was still the same badass rebel they all used to know, or if she's truly changed, albeit, something tells Haley that she was thinking of something that was just never going to happen.

She inwardly slapped herself, throwing away all her thoughts about Peyton.

'Yeah, I get that,' Nathan mumbled quietly. 'And they rarely ever get forgiven.'

'What?' Lucas narrowed his eyes at Nathan.

'Nothing, man,' Nathan shook his head, laughing.

Haley felt her stomach clench tightly at what Nathan said.

'_And they rarely ever get forgiven.'_

Haley wanted to literally slap herself right now, wondering why she was suddenly feeling guilty for not wanting to meet up with her long lost cousin. She knows it's not her fault, and Peyton was the one to blame, I mean, who the hell disappears after years and calls her expecting some kind of recognition for finally resurfacing on the face of the planet? Funny, Haley thought, but she wasn't going to get any of that from her.

Haley remembers hearing the news that Peyton had ran away from her grandmother's house for the umpteenth time, and at first, they all knew that the teen would come back, but Haley knew otherwise. Peyton had appeared on her doorstep the day before and acted as if everything was fine, they laughed their hearts out, just watching movies and Haley remembers trying to tell her cousin that if she needed anyone, she could go to her, like always, but something told Haley in the back of her mind that it was too late. The next day, Peyton disappears and after telling her relatives to just tell the police, they ignore her pleas and lecture her about how it's not good publicity for their family name. To hell with their last name! It doesn't matter, but apparently, it did to all of them, all of them but Peyton and her.

She's tried finding Peyton, even contemplated telling the police, but after years of trying to locate her missing cousin, she's lost hope and all the worries disappear, getting replaced by pure anger. How dare she disappear without telling Haley? Why? After all they've been through, all the promises they made about how they're going to show to their relatives that they didn't need their money, all the problems, tears and laughs they shared, was it all just nothing to Peyton? Maybe it was.

During her freshmen year, she got a call from her mother, telling her that they've found Peyton's body, informing her that she was dead, but Haley knew it was all a publicity stunt. She goes to the faux funeral when most of the guests have left and only her relatives remained and breaks down, telling them that all their tears were wasted crying for someone who wasn't really dead. Her grandmother had tried to tell her to stop, but she had bravely opened the casket to reveal no one inside. That was the end for Haley and her relatives. Since then, she has told them not to ever call her again or think of her as a family member.

It was before her graduation that she visits Peyton's 'grave' and leaves a letter, knowing that if Peyton does come back, she would find out about her fake tombstone and look for it, and she'd see a simple letter, and it would be a reminder of Haley, and an end to their relationship; a proof that Haley's finally bottled all their memories and everything they've been through and threw it across the sea, somewhere where nobody can find it, and for a long time, it would float, but like Haley's small hope that she would return, it will eventually get lost.


	4. Chapter 3: Say So

**Say So**_  
><em>

_You are the light up ahead at the end of the road  
>When I look in your eyes, girl, it feels like I'm home<em>

I think I was a little excited of the prospect that I've found her that I didn't think about how we're actually going to find her without being sent to jail for being called a stalker or something,' Peyton sighed, putting her feet on the dashboard, making Rachel roll her eyes.

'Peyt, this is not my car!' Rachel swatted the blonde's legs, glaring at her in annoyance. 'Well, you think? We've been asking around and none of them know where they live! They're pretty good hiding their address.'

'Oh, right, it's Mark's,' Peyton scoffed, referring to Rachel's ex-boyfriend. 'I told you that guy was a tool.'

'That _tool_ is actually more useful than you, Peyton,' Rachel honked mercilessly, wondering who it could be that was driving so slow in front of them. She rolled down the window before yelling. 'Hey, grandma! We don't walk with cars!'

Peyton burst out laughing when they got a middle finger from the driver in front of them. 'How is that son of a bitch helpful? All he's been doing was getting in your bed and you know it.'

'I was not talking about that, Peyton,' Rachel gritted between her teeth. 'Mark's a basketball fan and the guy actually knows where they practice. He works there as a janitor.'

'What?' Peyton laughed, clutching her sides. Something about Rachel's ex being a janitor just sounded very funny.

'Shut it, Sawyer,' Rachel glared at her, making the blonde stop laughing. 'We'll head to Mark's apartment to ask for the address and head there, alright?'

Peyton smiled at Rachel thankfully. 'Yeah, that'd be great.'

...

'R-Rachel, what are you doing here?' The lanky man looked at them with wide eyes, ushering them inside his apartment immediately after glancing around the empty hallway. 'You're not supposed to be seen here! My girl-'

'Hold your horses, assface,' Peyton rolled her eyes, cutting him off. 'We're not here to 'cause trouble, although, I wouldn't mind giving you a black eye or a bruise or two on your stomach.'

Mark's eyes widened, nervously pacing back and forth. 'Just tell me what you want before Glenda comes back.'

'Uh, you mind giving us the address to where you work?' Rachel said, watching Mark's reactions carefully.

'Why? I'm not supposed to give out information like that,' Mark muttered, running a hand through his oily brunette hair. He looked far worse than he did when they were caught in bed by his girlfriend, Rachel thought.

'We just need to meet Nathan Scott,' Peyton groaned, wanting to just get this over with.

Mark's eyes went from Rachel to his clock and let out silent curses, knowing his girlfriend would be home soon. He nervously fidgeted with his hands before pulling out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and handing them a card that stated the address of where he works and a telephone number.

'Bobcats doesn't have practice until tomorrow afternoon, exactly at 3, they'll be finished at 8pm, and then you can meet Nathan Scott at the back parking, where he usually parks his car. He hangs around for 10 minutes with the rest of their team mates before they leave one by one. Most of the time, the only ones left in the parking are him and his brother, so I guess by that time, you can meet him. You can't go inside the stadium and don't tell anybody that I gave that to you,' Mark glanced at his watch and abruptly told them to leave before it was too late, but it seemed that luck wasn't on his side as his girlfriend looked at the three of them in the hallway with wide eyes.

'Shit.'

...

Both of them made their way hastily inside the small apartment; Peyton immediately falling on the couch and Rachel going to the kitchen and pulling out a bottle of beer from the fridge. After being thrown out of the building by Mark's girlfriend, the two decided to rest for awhile since they won't have to go hunting for a certain Scott until tomorrow night.

'That bitch deserves more than a punch on my part,' Rachel spat angrily, chugging down the beer she held at hand. 'She thinks I'm going to get it on with him again after getting caught? She's fucked in the head, Peyt! Did you see her fat ass squirming beneath the tight skirt she was wearing?'

'Calm down,' Peyton muttered, shutting her heavy lids closed. She was glad she finally had a way to meet Haley, but was more afraid as to how she's going to introduce herself to her husband. She thought for a while before deciding that what they all thought didn't matter, she just needed to talk to Haley, that's all.

'Calm down? You expect me to calm down after she practically threw her fat ass on my face?' Rachel said exasperatingly, opening another bottle of beer. 'I'm going to fucking shove her in the zoo where she belongs if I see her again.'

'I think it's better if I go by myself tomorrow night,' Peyton said, sitting up straight and looking at Rachel who nodded approvingly.

'Well, duh, who says I'm going to go get included in your dramatic life? I've had enough of your cries, Sawyer,' Rachel scoffed, her words sinking deeper in Peyton's mind when the red head actually meant it as a joke. 'I'll just drop you off and then head to the bar.'

Peyton nodded, standing up and walking towards the fridge to get herself a bottle of beer too. She definitely needs it.

* * *

><p>Lucas gave the bartender a nod as thanks before drowning down the strong drink he held; he grimaced as it flowed down his throat, the liquid somehow seeming to burn it.<p>

'Whoa, calm down, Luke!' Skills' eyes widened, pulling the glass away from Lucas' grasp. 'I didn't think you were really serious when you called me and asked if I wanted to drown my problems with alcohol.'

The blonde Scott heaved a loud laugh, earning looks from the other customers. 'I just don't know if I love Brooke, man,' he shrugged, blinking repeatedly due to the fact that his surroundings seemed to be revolving. 'Earlier, when I was talking to Nate, he said some things and just made me realize how much Lindsey's fucked my heart over, y'know?'

Skills frowned. Lindsey's name was taboo and it made him want to hunt down said girl whenever he saw the look on his best friend's face whenever she was brought up in a conversation.

'More please!'

Skills gave the bartender a thumbs down, a simple gesture showing that he needn't serve the basketball player that was asking for more drinks. He knew that when Lucas had called him, it wasn't going to be just another night of fun and drinking at their favourite bar and by the looks of it, he was pretty damn right.

Lucas was disturbed by his feelings again and it was no surprise to all of them. Since his ex-fiancée's departure, the older Scott has been closed off and had pushed everyone away and every girl that showed interest in him and it had shocked them when he had announced that he was in a relationship with another one of their childhood friend out of the blue given that the last time they'd seen the two of them, it was because they were telling each other that they were better off as friends.

'Luke, you have practice tomorrow night! You're going to regret this,' Skills muttered, trying to snap some sense into the drunken blonde's mind. 'Haley's going to kill me.'

* * *

><p>A tipsy Peyton was dragged to the crammed night club by the red head, both their faces supporting a lazy smirk. Apparently, six bottles of beer was not enough for Rachel and so decided to go to the nearest club and had forced the female blonde to go along with her, and Peyton, unable to say no to the only person who has helped her throughout her entire search for her cousin had just allowed Rachel to do so.<p>

Oh, and the fact that she could forget about her problems for one night did sound quite tempting.

Trying to find their way towards the counter, they accidentally bump into two strangers; one seemed to be very drunk and the other, trying to get him out of the club. Peyton couldn't make out their faces seeing as the club was too dark, but she could, however, see the blazing blue orbs of one of the men and was definitely in a trance as he stared at her, her staring at him, both unwilling to break the strong eye contact.

* * *

><p><em>Ha! Leyton! <em>


End file.
